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New Research Published In Neuroendocrine Pancreatic Cancer

September 25, 2015

About 5% of pancreatic cancers are neuroendocrine tumours, these are tumours that form in the hormone-making cells (islet cells) of the pancreas. Findings published in the American Journal of the Cancer Institute have found that a protein in neuroendocrine tumours called focal adhesion kinase (FAK) that normally helps the islet cells of the pancreas to survive, is over produced in neuroendocrine tumours.

This overproduction of FAK allows these tumours to resist chemotherapy. Neuroendocrine tumours are best treated with surgery when possible, however if they are inoperable, a treatment option is “ervolimus.” The study found that when they paired a compound called PF-04554787 with ervolimus, the combined drugs were more effective than ervolimus alone.

This research was carried out in mice and the researchers would need to test the drug combination in humans, although there are no clinical trials yet designed or scheduled.

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